“I blame that on all the pasta, wine and tequila”: Kyle Larson reveals how his health suffered during NASCAR break after Ironman 55 win

As many NASCAR drivers relish their vacation time during the NASCAR Olympic break, Kyle Larson continues to pursue his passion for racing. Larson is deeply invested in the sport, often competing in lower divisions.

This year, despite juggling a part-time schedule and the pressures of starting his own sprint racing series, Larson's commitment to racing was on full display at the I-55 Raceway. Competing in the World of Outlaws Series race, Larson overcame a challenging season to win at the renowned event.

Larson, starting from the 21st position, snatched victory at the I-55 Raceway by a razor-thin margin of 0.053 seconds over James McFadden, a win that really got his adrenaline pumping. He shared two images on social media showing his heart rate during races: one during his win at the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the other during his intense World of Outlaws race at I-55 Raceway.

The contrast in his heart rates was striking. At the Brickyard 400, his average heart rate was 121 bpm, peaking at 180 bpm. However, at the I-55 race, Kyle Larson's heart raced even faster, averaging 150 bpm and reaching a new personal high of 198 bpm. Taking a lighter approach, Larson humorously captioned the I-55 heart rate picture on X:

"As bad as we’ve been this year my thoughts before the feature were, “don’t get lapped”. Never give up kids! New max HR for me as well 😂 I blame that on all the pasta, wine, and tequila in Italy."

---

Kyle Larson earns praise from the 1994 Olympic Gold winner Dan Jansen

As Kyle Larson geared up for his first double-duty challenge, his team was all hands on deck to ensure he was in top mental and physical shape. Helping him reach these peak levels was Dan Jansen, an Olympic gold medalist in the 1000-meter speed skating event, who was part of the training team with Josh Wise and Scott Speed.

During the rigorous training sessions, Jansen discovered Larson's strengths. Speaking to NBC Sports, Jansen remarked on Larson’s unexpected physical ability:

"He has no idea how strong he is for his body type and size. He’s incredibly strong. Not like weightlifting strong. He’ll make fun of himself because he can’t benchpress a lot but with the body-to-weight ratio, he can do things most can’t.

For instance, most people can’t do a pistol squat, meaning you’re on one leg, you go all the way down, touch your butt to your ankle and then get up. Most people can’t do one. He can do 20 straight on each leg."

However, with Kyle Larson forgoing any breaks lately, it remains to be seen whether his relentless schedule will lead to enhanced performance or if he’ll feel the strain compared to his peers who have taken some time off.